Fleuroselect, the international organisation for the ornamental plants industry, have announced four new Gold Medal awards that will be available to the wholesale trade this year for retail sales in 2015.

The Fleuroselect Gold Medal is awarded to new varieties that have been tested by Fleuroselect's expert and independent judges at trial grounds across Europe and proven to clearly supersede existing varieties in terms of breeding innovation and beauty. They would normally be expected to become best sellers after release.

Begonia ‘California Sunlight’ (Selecta Klemm) is a semi-upright, bushy plant offering summer long garden performance all. Large orange flowers cascade down from dark foliage. This cutting-raised variety will stand out in pots, hanging baskets and containers.  It is both drought and rain tolerant and thrives in full sun and shade.

Impatiens hawkerii ‘Florific® Sweet Orange’ (Syngenta Flowers) is the first bicolour in seed-raised New Guinea Impatiens. Thanks to its excellent branching habit, it is a showy, full plant with huge flowers presenting above the foliage – a shade-lover for hanging baskets and window boxes, edges and flower borders.

Lavandula stoechas ‘Bandera Purple’ (Kieft Seed) represents the new generation of lavendula stoechas. The first commercially compact Lavandula stoechas raised from seed, it offers an abundance of spikes carrying dark purple flowers with purple flags on plants that do not exceed 20 cm. A half-hardy annual for pots, containers or bedding.